Couple killed by suspected gas poisoning
GARDAÍ suspect an elderly couple who lay undiscovered in their home for days may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The bodies of Michael Hurley and his long-time partner Mary Holohan were discovered at their home in Kilderry, Co. Kilkenny.
A family relative called gardaí at 7pm on Wednesday after they had been unable to contact the couple.
Gardaí found the couple at the scene that evening, and they were formally pronounced dead a short while later. The Irish Daily Mail understands that foul play is not suspected.
Mr Hurley, 83, and his partner Ms Holohan, 79, are believed to have been dead for a number of days before they were discovered.
Local Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat FitzPatrick, who knew the deceased pair, told the Mail: ‘They were a lovely couple. Although they tended to keep a low profile, they were very friendly and they were well liked by everyone who knew them. They were also always very supportive of the local community.
‘What has happened is an awful tragedy and very sad loss to the local community.’
A Garda spokesperson said officers are investigating ‘all of the circumstances’ surrounding the discovery of the bodies and that the post mortem’s outcome will determine the course of their inquiry.
Neighbour Séamus Campion said he knew Mr Hurley all his life and described the news of his death as an ‘awful bloody tragedy’.
He added that he didn’t really know Ms Holohan but he spoke to her on occasion and described her as a ‘nice person’.
‘I was here last night going up the lane to the farmyard up to my son and the gardaí were flying past and I see the lights flashing up for hours,’ said Mr Campion. ‘My daughter phoned from Australia, maybe she thought it was us, they knew in Australia before we knew. We knew something happened but we didn’t know what.’
Mr Campion said that he started receiving a lot of phone calls from neighbours. ‘They are all shocked,’ he said. Mr Campion also said Mr Hurley was ‘very well known’ in the area ‘because his mother was a doctor and his brother was a vet’.
It is suspected the couple may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning – dubbed the silent killer because the gas is odourless and invisible. Unless people have an alarm to alert them to the presence of the gas, it is impossible to detect.
One previous carbon monoxide victim, Miriam Reidy, 35, from Co. Limerick, died in January 2011 while she slept in a Cork hotel room.
A plumbing and heating contractor was later found not guilty of failing to properly convert a gas boiler.
And just last week, the Mail reported how a family of ten, from Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, nearly died after they suffered suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
Priscilla and Coleman Sherlock and their sons – Evan, 13, Martin, eight, Coleman Jr, four, and 22month-old Miko – were sitting by an open fire watching a film when they were overcome by fumes.
The couple’s daughters, Carina, 14, Nicole, 11, Priscilla, ten, and Kathleen, nine, were asleep upstairs.
Evan came around and roused his family in time for them to escape. The teenager tried to open a window, complaining of feeling unwell and being unable to breathe.
Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal and wood do not burn fully.
When the gas enters the bloodstream, it destroys the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, causing tissue and cells to die. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting and headaches, and can lead to loss of consciousness and suffocation.
The HSE says breathing in even a small amount can cause death.
Neighbours ‘are all shocked’